A Dance Central Christmas Carol
by DTLe
Summary: /Christmas Carol AU/ It was never a Merry Christmas for the miserly Dr. Tan, but when the ghost of his old business partner tells him he will be visited by three spirits, what will come of this night of memories and revelations?
1. The Eve of Reckoning

A happy December to you all! I hope I can brighten your holidays with this Christmas Carol AU. I've never really thought about doing a Dr. Tan story, but I thought this seemed like a good time to start. Roles have been rewritten, but the characters themselves should be relatively the same. Enjoy!

* * *

It was a cold, winter evening in the metropolis of Dance Central. The fact that it was Christmas Eve meant nothing to Dr. Tan, who sat alone in his office at the top floor of Tan Corps. Screens were positioned all around the room, playing footage from all over the building. Dr. Tan made sure none of his employees were slacking off; even in this busy holiday season, there was work to be done. His thoughts were soon interrupted by an incoming video call, which he pulled up on his desk monitor. The face on the screen belonged to none other than his son.

"This better be important Oblio, I've told you not to call me when I'm working."

"And a merry Christmas to you too father," Oblio replied, unfazed by his father's coldness.

"And what's so merry about it?"

"Christmas should be a time of joy and goodwill. Taye has invited us to Christmas dinner, why not join us?"

"I have no time for such foolish trifles. A day without work is a day Tan Corps isn't standing front and center in the world."

"Surely a day off wouldn't do any harm, father."

"That is not something I want to hear from you son. I'm expecting you to take over one day, and the company will not last long with that attitude."

"Money matters not to me father, nor does the idea of inheriting your legacy."

"And here I was expecting you to be grateful. Get out of my sight."

"As you wish. Still, do not hesitate to call should you change your mind." With that, the screen went blank, leaving the doctor alone in his office once more. At least, until an announcement came on the intercom.

"You have visitors at the door Dr. Tan." He pulled up the security footage from the front door of his office. There were two people, a man and a woman, waiting outside bundled in their coats and scarves. The man was tall, with short blond hair and wearing a pair of orange goggles. The woman was smaller in stature, with shoulder-length hair dyed a vivid shade of pink. She absentmindedly played with her arm warmers as they waited for some sort of response. Dr. Tan set up a relay to the intercom positioned by the entrance.

"State your business here," he announced to the couple at the door. The male spoke first.

"Hello, we've come to collect for charity. Are we speaking to Dr. Tan?" He said this in what Dr. Tan guessed was a light Russian accent. Tan let out a condescending laugh, though he didn't let them hear it.

"Yes, this is the doctor. What brings you to my company?" The young woman spoke up next.

"Well seeing it's almost Christmas and all, we were hoping you could spare some money to help the poor. Times are hard and folks are needing help supporting themselves. Every little bit helps." She said this in her cheery British accent, to Tan's bemusement. The male chimed in next.

"How much can we put you down for today?"

"Nothing," Dr. Tan replied curtly.

The two looked at each other slightly confused, obviously caught off-guard.

"Oh, did you prefer to make an anonymous donation? Because we can do that and-"

"I said nothing. I'm not giving you people a cent."

"But there are people starving out there! Surely you could part with a dollar or two?" Dr. Tan was wearing out his patience.

"You two are new here aren't you? I don't do charity. I worked day in and day out to get where I am now, and if these people knew what was good for them, they'd start doing the same. Now get off of my property before I report you both for trespassing."

"But-"

"Leave!" Both of them quickly scurried off without another word. Dr. Tan reclined into his chair, satisfied with himself.

Seeing as the workday was soon to end, Dr. Tan switched on the intercom for the building. Clearing his throat, he prepared to make his announcement.

"Attention all employees, this is a reminder that although I am giving you the day off tomorrow, I expect you all to be back at work on the 26th, no questions asked. Unauthorized absences will result in... disciplinary action. That is all." Dr. Tan gathered his personal belongings and made his way to the elevator. Soon enough, he was at the ground floor. Before he could exit the building however, he noticed someone waiting for him at the door. It was Rasa, one of his staff members. He had been with the company for quite a few years, and he did good work, but Rasa was often very vocal about his dissatisfaction with Tan Corps.

"Is there a problem?" Dr. Tan asked, feigning ignorance about the conversation that was soon to follow.

"You can't really expect us to come in right after Christmas."

"And I suppose you expect me to just waste this money just to have nothing get done?"

"It's the holidays. Some of us have families to go back to." The mention of the word "families" made Dr. Tan sneer in disgust.

"I'm being generous here. I'm not obligated to give you people any more time off then that. I'm ending this discussion, otherwise you can forget about any talks about that raise you were asking for last week." Rasa glared at him, but otherwise said nothing in response. Eventually he turned towards the exit, still visibly irritated.

"I'll see you after Christmas sir." Dr. Tan nodded, seeing his point had been made. He soon made his leave as well.

Dr. Tan made his way back to his manor, where he continued to work on paperwork and various files relating to the company. Maintaining Tan Corps. was no small task since his business partner passed away seven years ago. He couldn't afford a break, holidays be damned. The company was the only thing he had, _they _had, and he would do anything to ensure its success.

He continued to work, but found himself interrupted by a sudden power outage. The lights in his room then flickered erratically, and a figure slowly appeared before him. Upon closer inspection, he recognized it as one of his old robots, a model he codenamed ELIOT after his deceased business partner. It startled him for a moment, for he had only built the one model and had dismantled it long ago. There was no way ELIOT should be here, standing before him like this.

"Dr. Tan..." The robot called out to him, but not in its usual mechanical intonation. The voice was clearly human; not something one would expect to come from a body of metal and plastic.

"What is the meaning of this?! Who are you?" Dr. Tan shouted at the machine before him. The display on ELIOT's head where his face was positioned grew dim, and his head seemed to dismantle itself. Underneath was a face all too familiar to the doctor.

"Surely you haven't forgotten me already, old friend." The man beneath the robot's guise was the spitting image of Eliot Min, co-founder of Tan Corps. He had not seemed to age a day since his passing.

"Eliot... no, I know you're gone. This must seem some tasteless prank."

"Richard, I've come from the world beyond to warn you."

"I should be the one giving you a warning, breaking into my home for this nonsense." Dr. Tan reached out to the "fake" Eliot, only to find that his hand phased right through Eliot's body.

"Please, this is no joke. Your future is in jeopardy if you remain on this path."

"Surely hologram technology hasn't advanced this much yet," Dr. Tan mused to himself.

"Richard, what has happened to you? You aren't the man I built the company with so long ago."

"You know nothing about me."

"I would think I would, as your friend and former business partner. You used to have such passion for inventing, and now I find you here, obsessing over money."

"Just tell me what you're doing here Eliot, or whoever you really are... and why are you using my robot's body?"

"Like I said, I came here from beyond the grave to help you. As for this body, it would seem that my form has been slightly altered by your memory of me. I appreciate the sentiment of naming the robot after me by the way."

"Hmph. Who says I need any help? I'm doing just fine, in case you haven't noticed."

"You're becoming consumed by your greed Richard, but it's not too late to change. You will be visited by three spirits tonight. I pray they can help you see the error of your ways. As for now, I must go." Eliot began to fade out of existence as he finished the sentence.

"Get back here! I'm not through with you yet!" But no matter what Dr. Tan did, Eliot simply disappeared without a trace. He searched around his room for any signs of tampering, but found nothing. Resigning himself to investigate in the morning, he made his way to bed.

* * *

End of first chapter. A quick note, I could only write so much of this story and get away with not giving Dr. Tan a first name. So this is the story of Dr. Richard Tan, the Scrooge of this tale. There are five chapters, I hope you'll keep going and enjoy reading them.


	2. Of the Past

Dr. Tan awoke with a start, and after finding the nearest clock, was aware that it was one in the morning. He wondered to himself if the most recent events were nothing more than a dream. He would have been willing to forget the whole ordeal if it weren't for a surprise visitor in his room.

"Hey doc, are we going to get this haunting started or what?" Dr. Tan suddenly found himself face-to-face with a girl with a yellow baseball cap, perhaps about twelve years old, who seemed to be glaring impatiently at him.

"What- how did you get in here?"

"Didn't Eliot just finish telling you about this? You being haunted by three spirits and all." Dr. Tan rubbed his eyes, and seeing that the girl was still there, resigned to his fate.

"And I suppose that makes you one of these 'spirits' then?" The girl smirked in response.

"You got it. I'm the Ghost of Christmas Past." Dr. Tan sat there stoically with his arms crossed.

"And what exactly are you going to do to me? Annoy me until I change my ways?" The girl rolled her eyes at him.

"Well first of all, I'm going to take you to the past, before you became an old grump."

"Like time travel? This is ridiculous."

"Not as ridiculous as having a bunch of ghosts telling you to get your act together. Now let's go." She grabbed at his arm and he soon found himself floating above his body.

"What is going on here?!"

"Just be grateful I'm not making you walk doc. Alright, here we go!" In that instant, the scenery around them began to change. They found themselves at a large building, the very same building that would eventually become Tan Corps. As for the moment however, it was Tan-Min Inc., a recent start-up he and Eliot had started after graduating college. Dr. Tan had filed some patents for his highly-advanced robotic prosthetics, and Eliot had been his right-hand man, taking care of the marketing and accounting. It was the start of a bright future, or so they had thought at the time. The spirit motioned to him and the two of them could observe a much younger Tan and Eliot standing in front of the building.

"We've finally made it big, huh Richard?"

"We sure have. I couldn't have done it without your help of course."

"I barely did anything, you're the master inventor here."

"I couldn't have gotten this far without your support Eliot. It means a lot to me."

"Anything for a friend. I bet Bernice will be thrilled when she hears about this." Dr. Tan perked up at the mention of his wife, or rather girlfriend at the time of this event. They had met after he started school at Harmonix University, and they began dating soon afterward. Indeed, the company had been a huge success, and even helped fund their wedding a couple of years later. The doctor couldn't help but smile in reminiscence. The young girl spirit soon interrupted his train of thought.

"You had a good thing goin', didn't you doc?" Brought back to reality, Dr. Tan returned to his usual bitterness.

"Yes, I suppose you could say that." Seeing as the vision before them had played itself out, the Ghost of Christmas Past prepared to move on.

"I think it's time we fast-forward a bit." With a blur and a flash, the scene had changed to a hospital room. Dr. Tan inspected their new surroundings, and found that he remembered this place quite well. How could he not, for this was the night his son was born, on Christmas even! Sure enough, there he was again, slightly older than in the vision before. His wife held their newborn child as she lay in the hospital bed.

"He's our little Christmas miracle, isn't he dear?" Bernice said, looking endearingly at her son.

"He surely knows how to make an entrance," Dr. Tan responded. "Welcome to the world, Oblio."

"Hold up a minute," the spirit suddenly interrupted. "You mean to tell me your kid was _born_ on Christmas and you won't even spend time with him?" She practically glared daggers at him. Dr. Tan was not perturbed.

"It's not like I forgot or anything. I already got him a gift. Surely he's old enough to handle being on his own for his birthday." The Ghost was not amused.

"Mm-hmm. See, last time I checked, Christmas was about spending time with your _family _and _loved ones_," she replied, her emphasis being very clear. "I think I can make my point during our next stop." With a snap of her fingers, they were back at his home. Or at least, some past version of it. The tension was heavy as the younger Dr. Tan and Bernice were in the middle of an argument.

"You need to spend more time at home Richard, Oblio is going to forget your face at this rate."

"Bernice, I'm doing this for you- both of you. My business is growing larger by the day, and I have to be there to manage it."

"I don't care about the money, one day wouldn't hurt."

"And here I thought you understood me. Do you know how hard Eliot and I worked for this?"

"You've changed Richard. I dare say you're not the man I fell in love with."

"Don't you say that Bernice. Everything we have is thanks to the company."

"Is the company more important to you than me? Than our family?" The present Dr. Tan watched the scene in visible discomfort. He glanced over to the spirit, who said nothing, but her look of disapproval spoke volumes.

"I take it you remember what happens next?" she finally said. Dr. Tan nodded solemnly.

"Sometime after that, she left me, and took our son with her. I tried to look for her, but she obviously didn't want to be found. I didn't see them for years until Oblio came back to tell me she had passed away from illness." He glanced at the spirit, who only gazed at him with scorn in her eyes. "I tried to make amends, but he rejects anything that could be associated with Tan Corps."

"Speaking of which, what happened to Tan-Min Inc.? Thought you two were friends, doc."

"Well, since you seem to know everything about my past I think you would know. After Eliot died suddenly, the business began expanding to full-on robotics. I needed more funding and decided to re-brand the company. I meant no disrespect... I thought Eliot would have understood. Anyway, I've had enough of this. Take me back immediately, spirit."

"Yeah alright, but you realize you've got two more spirits headed your way right?"

"Surely nothing can be worse than this nightmare. Let me leave." Without another word, they returned to his bedroom and Dr. Tan found himself back in his body.

"Looks like my work here is done. Happy haunting doc." She then vanished without a trace. Fatigued from his ordeal, Dr. Tan could do nothing but fall back to sleep in wait for his next ghostly visitor.

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End of chapter two. If you haven't noticed yet, all of the main dancers will be making cameos in this story, some more obvious than others. See if you can find them all as you read on.


	3. Present Imperfections

Dr. Tan awoke with a start, as if by instinct. He glanced around the room and found he was just in time to catch the next spirit making their entrance. This time it was in the form of a young man with short blond hair and a cheery disposition.

"Hello Dr. Tan, I'm the Ghost of Christmas Present. Nice to meet you."

"Wish I could say the same," the doctor replied dryly. The Ghost seemed to ignore his comment.

"I take it you already know why I'm here. Shall we go then?" The spirit offered his hand to him. With no other real options, Dr. Tan took it and began another spiritual journey. This time they found themselves above the city, in the midst of Christmas day. All around them people were reveling in the holiday spirit, carols filled the air and families were celebrating the festivities in their homes. The two of them came upon one home in particular, belonging to none other than Rasa and his family. Rasa had been getting dinner on the table when through the door came a woman dragging along a young boy. They were soon followed by two older teenagers, a boy and a girl.

"Mom, come on, I said I was sorry!" the young boy whined.

"What's going on here Lima?" Rasa asked.

"Glitch was overexerting himself again," the woman responded.

"It was just a little dancing, wasn't gonna do nothin'."

"Glitch, I can't have you taking risks with your heart condition." She then looked towards the two teenagers. "Mo, Emilia, I told you to watch your little brother."

"Sorry mom." They answered simultaneously. Glitch simply stood there pouting, arms crossed.

"It's not fair, I didn't ask to be born like this." Lima ruffled his hair.

"I know sweetheart, but as soon as we can afford that surgery everything will be just fine. Just be patient."

"You've been saying that for years," Glitch noted despondently. His mother gave him a quick hug and told her children to have a seat at the table as she went to the kitchen. Rasa was still gathering the last of the food for dinner.

"So how's work dear?" Lima asked her husband.

"Same as usual. It seems I'll be heading back to the office tomorrow."

"Already? But it's still the holiday."

"Not to the old man. I have to go in or else I'm not getting that raise."

"That stingy old fool. It's not as if he needs the money."

"Believe me, if I could work anywhere else, I would. Blasted economy."

"I swear one of these days I'm giving that man a piece of my mind. Even with me, Mo, and Emilia working we barely have anything saved up."

"Yeah. Come on, let's not spoil the holiday with this talk. Dinner's gonna get cold." They both returned to the dining room and began their feast. Dr. Tan looked upon the scene with a hint of regret. He turned towards the spirit.

"Say, do you think the boy will be alright?" The Ghost spent a moment thinking.

"If things keep going the way the are, I'm sorry to say there's going to be an empty seat at that table by next year. Didn't Rasa mention what he needed the money for?"

"I've never been one to delve into my employee's personal lives."

"I suppose it was just a matter of whether they were working hard enough, huh?" Dr. Tan felt the sting of having his words thrown back at him. He mentally shook it off and asked to move on. They proceeded to another home where they managed to find Oblio at the Christmas dinner Taye invited him to. Her family was quite large, and her house was abuzz with activity. Oblio and Taye had managed to find some space for themselves to talk.

"I appreciate you inviting me over Taye."

"Of course, you didn't think I'd let you spend Christmas alone? Especially considering that old man of yours." Oblio laughed to himself, quite subtly.

"It's a shame that he declined to come as well." Taye simply tsk'd and shook her head.

"No offense boo, but you should forget about him. I mean, it's your _birthday_ and your pops won't even say nothin' about it?"

"I had expected as much. He did send me a gift however."

"More money? Seems cash is the only language he understands."

"Quite. I already donated most of it, let it be of use to someone who needs it." Dr. Tan sighed, though it wasn't as if anyone else would hear it.

"Why do even waste your time on him? I swear he's more attached to those robots he makes than you." Oblio took a moment to gather his thoughts.

"I suppose it's mostly out of pity, though he would loathe hearing me say so. I would like to think that if I kept reaching out to him, that he wouldn't feel that he has to resign himself to being alone in his manor day after day."

"I swear, you're too good to him. C'mon, I think dinner's ready." With that, the two of them left, leaving Dr. Tan and the Ghost as lone witnesses.

"Oblio's a good son, isn't he?" the spirit remarked.

"Yes, I suppose he is."

"You know, it's not too late. This is just a vision of the Christmas that will be. After the third spirit is finished, time will resume normally as if we were never there." Dr. Tan nodded in acknowledgment.

"Are we done here?"

"Yeah, just about. I'll take you back now." With that said, it was back to Dr. Tan's bedroom where they had started. The Ghost then began to fade out of existence. "Good luck to you, and happy holidays Dr. Tan." Dr. Tan simply watched him disappear, somewhat anxious about what was to come. Just when he thought he was alone, he felt himself being watched. A sense of dread fell upon him that he could not contain. He turned around to find a hooded figure looming over him.

* * *

End of chapter three. What visions will the final spirit bring to Dr. Tan?


	4. A Future Foretold

Dr. Tan was startled by the sight of this intruder. The only thing visible was their black cloak, no features could be identified under their hood. This spirit did not speak, though their hand was outstretched towards him.

"Let me guess, you're the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come? Here to show me visions of my future and what not?" Dr. Tan tried to sound calm, but his voice wavered. The spirit nodded in response. This Ghost was certainly not what he expected. They seemed to exude this aura of negativity that was almost suffocating. Dr. Tan tried to regain his composure. "Well, carry on then. I'll be right behind you." The Ghost led him towards the city, though it hardly looked like the one he called home. The setting was dark and gloomy, seemingly endless shadows covered the landscape. Their first stop was a luxurious penthouse, own by a man and woman with platinum-blonde hair. Dr. Tan recognized some of his robots within the residence.

"It would seem that these piles of scrap are good for something after all Kerith," the woman remarked.

"Indeed sister. They're certainly much more agreeable than our old butlers," the man replied.

"And the view is much nicer up here without that garish building in the way."

"Yes, good things come to those who wait, wouldn't you say?"

"Quite. I say we have a toast to this good fortune." One of the robots walks up to them, carrying a tray with two wine glasses. They each took one, their condescending laughter breaking the silence. Dr. Tan was left to ponder the implications on his own, for the Ghost continued to say nothing. Instead they prompted the doctor that they were moving on, and so he followed.

They found themselves at a familiar manor... wasn't it his? Perhaps, but a look inside revealed a couple residing in it, the interior not being what he was acquainted with. The current residents were seated in front of the fireplace, having a chat.

"I didn't expect you to actually buy this place up Aubrey," said the male.

"I couldn't let this space go to waste. It'd make a great venue for our performances," the woman responded.

"Yeah, I can see that. Can't help but think this place might be a little haunted though."

"Please, that geezer was hardly intimidating when he was alive. What can a dead man do to me?" The male chuckled to himself.

"True. I'll protect you if something does happen though."

"As if I need your help Angel." Dr. Tan tuned out the rest of the conversation as questions upon questions formed in his mind. _But- how- why?!_ He wanted to ask the spirit many things, but he did not expect an answer from the shadowy figure. The Ghost proceeded to take him to a new area, what he hoped would be the final destination of this ghostly journey.

It was a graveyard, with a man standing in front of one of the gravestones. As Dr. Tan and the spirit arrived, the man turned to leave. It was Rasa, though at this point his age was quite visible on his face. Taking the previous Ghost's words to heart, Dr. Tan rushed over to the grave Rasa was just in front of. His fears were confirmed, it was the grave of Rasa's boy Glitch, _beloved son, brother, and friend_, as inscribed on his headstone. A twinge of grief washed over him, though surely it could not compare to that of the boy's family. The grave was still decorated with flowers, wreaths, and other trinkets.

"Is this truly what my future holds?" he asked, mostly to himself. He then felt a hand on his shoulder. The Ghost was pointing to a far corner of the graveyard. "You want me to go there?" The spirit continued to point in that direction. Dr. Tan made his way over, dreading what he would soon discover. At last he made it to a grave, one that seemed more lonelier than the others. The headstone was slightly chipped in places, and the withered remains of a single bouquet were all that was there beside dirt and weeds. He read the name on the headstone, but he could not force his mind to accept its truth.

_Here Lies Doctor Richard Tan_

"It can't end this way..." He turned towards the spirit, who had been idly standing by during the whole ordeal. Dr. Tan grabbed at their cloak, barely stopping himself from groveling in submission. "Alright, I understand! I do not wish to claim this future as my own, I can change! The others said it's not too late right? I need to go back, take me back this instant!" The Ghost remained as stoic as ever throughout the doctor's shouting. "At least answer me you blasted specter!" Dr. Tan pulled off their hood, only to find a void of blackness staring back at him. There was no face to be seen, the shape only vaguely human. The Ghost began to flicker, the face flashing between black and white faster and faster. It was the last thing Dr. Tan saw before waking up with a shock within his bedroom once again.

* * *

End of chapter four. We're at the home stretch, thanks for hanging in there!


	5. Christmas Day

Dr. Tan had awoken to find daylight streaming in through his window. The date. He needed to check the date. He checked his phone, watched the news, all confirmed that it was December 25th.

"I'm not too late! A merry Christmas indeed!" Dr. Tan shouted with joy as he rushed to get dressed and face the day. His first deed of the day was to call his son.

"Hello?" Oblio answered, his surprised tone expected from the doctor.

"Oblio, would it perhaps be too late for me to join you for dinner tonight?" He could almost see his son's shocked expression as he waited for an answer.

"No, of course not father. Why the sudden change of heart, if I may ask?"

"Oh, that's not important right now. I'll see you tonight son, I've got some errands to run." Dr. Tan hung up and rushed out the door, where he nearly ran into the couple from the charity he saw the previous day.

"Oh, it's you two again." The two were obviously preparing to make a run for it before Dr. Tan stopped them. "Now hold on, I wanted to apologize for the other day. You two wouldn't still happen to be collecting would you?" The couple glanced at each other and said that they were. Dr. Tan pulled out his checkbook and filled out a check in the amount of a few thousand dollars. He handed it to them and waved them off with a "Merry Christmas!", leaving them totally bewildered, but otherwise pleasantly surprised.

His next stop was Rasa's home. As soon as he arrived, he rang the doorbell, with Rasa being the one to answer.

"Sir? What brings you here?" From the doorway, Dr. Tan could see the rest of Rasa's family observing them from the living room.

"Rasa, my good man. Just wanted to spread some holiday cheer, and to let you know that you don't have to come in tomorrow. In fact, you can take a week off." Rasa stood there for a moment, his expression betraying his confusion.

"Are you feeling all right Dr. Tan?"

"I've never felt better! Also, consider this your holiday bonus." Dr. Tan handed Rasa an envelope, which was revealed to be full of cash.

"Are you sure about this sir?"

"Oh, quite sure. Now, I must be going, I have some appointments to make. A merry Christmas to you and your family." Dr. Tan turned to leave, but added: "And we can talk about your raise as soon as you get back!" Dr. Tan made his leave, with Rasa still processing this sudden turn of events.

"What was that about?" Glitch asked.

"It would seem we've just seen a Christmas miracle," his father replied.

All across the city, Dr. Tan spread his new-found generosity to those who would take it. There were those who were suspicious of this sudden change, but he paid them no mind. Indeed, the Dr. Tan of the past was no more, much to the surprise of practically everyone at Taye's dinner party. Christmas would no longer be a day of loneliness to be spent in his manor. He would live today, and every day to the fullest. Dr. Tan was a changed man, and he would make sure the rest of his life was absolutely flawless.

* * *

The end, and a Merry Christmas to all of you! I'm glad I was able to finish this up in time for the holidays. Thanks for reading!


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